Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center

Sustainable, State-of-the-Art Transit

This is what BIM is ... a great process with many strengths. The form is one of beauty and simplicity. The use of integrated design and modeling optimized the structure. This group leveraged the power of BIM and it was especially valuable.

Clark served as the general contractor for the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) project. Designed to be a world-class transportation center, ARTIC allows commuters to move seamlessly between transit services to reach Southern California's activity centers and business districts.

The ARTIC project is a 67,000 square-foot steel-framed terminal structure with 200,000 square feet of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) and glass cladding. The civil scope of work included constructing parking areas for 1,082 vehicles, a railroad bridge, baggage and pedestrian tunnels, a two-sided rail station platform, and a pedestrian concourse bridge from the terminal to the rail platforms. Additionally, Clark performed infrastructure improvements to local utilities and roadways.

The project was a partnership between the City of Anaheim and the Orange County Transportation Authority and is funded with a combination of Measure M funds, a local half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, as well as state and federal funds. ARTIC will support more than 10,000 daily boardings among 10 different transportation modes. More than 5,000 jobs were created as a result of the project.

ARTIC has been described by American Institute of Steel Construction as the most complicated steel structure ever attempted. Fabricated by Beck Steel at their plant in Texas, a total of 40 arches make up this stunning structure. It took over three months to erect all 40 arches, with 20 leaning to the south and 20 leaning to the north. Ranging from 85' on the south end to 125' on the north end and made from over 400 tons of 14" OD HSS, the ARTIC arches are truly a sight to behold.

Technology

ARTIC's compound curved terminal shell features a 200,000 square-foot ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) roof system stretched across a diamond-shaped metal grid (diagrid) that is supported by a structural steel frame. The terminal's complex geometry required extensive planning and preparation - long before construction began. With tolerances as tight as five millimeters, Clark and our subcontractors, working closely with design and engineering partners HOK, Parsons Brinkerhoff, and Buro Happold, knew the fabrication and construction of the curving steel would be impossible without BIM.

To ensure absolute precision, the team independently modeled the ETFE, diagrid, and structural steel systems. The models were then reduced to the simplest geometric elements: points and arcs. These "geogrid" models conveyed the shell's exact design dimensions and, when overlaid, revealed miniscule alignment gaps along the structure's curves that would have had severe ramifications during construction. By taking the terminal's designs and modeling the points as they exist in geometric space, the team was able to precisely coordinate all specifications and eliminate fabrication errors. With the structural modeling and engineering complete, Clark began a successful 12-stage erection sequence that put 600 tons of steel into place in three months time.

The project team's cutting-edge three dimensional modeling and coordination efforts were honored with a 2014 BIM Award from the American Institute of Architects Technology in Architectural Practice Knowledge Community.

Building ARTIC's infrastructure just feet from active rail operations required intense planning and close coordination between Clark and its subcontractors. The team had just six 52-hour weekend windows when rail operations shifted to single rail to replace an existing railroad bridge and excavate baggage and passenger tunnels. To construct the tunnels, the team took one rail line out of service and excavated down 15 feet before setting 4,500 pound precast tunnel sections in place. Then, before the Monday morning commute began, the team waterproofed, backfilled, and put the rail back in place.

Lean Construction

To successfully perform the work, Clark relied on Plan/Do/Check/Adjust (PDCA) a Lean Construction technique. The team spent weeks pre-planning with trade partners, developing hour-by-hour schedules. As each 52-hour weekend approached, the work was broken down further, into 15-minute increments. As the work was being completed, the team continued to check work in place against the plan. Following each weekend’s activity, the team then met with its trade partners to determine how the operation could be improved and adjusted. The team's meticulous planning paid off: by the sixth weekend, the team finished work 20 hours ahead of schedule - a 30 percent improvement.

Sustainability

Anticipated to earn LEED Platinum certification, ARTIC is one of the most sustainable facilities of its kind in the world. The facility will reduce energy consumption by fifty percent through innovative materials and applications that meet or exceed Title 24 requirements as compared to standard building construction practices. ARTIC also reduced eighty percent of the construction waste and up to seventy-five percent operational waste reductions through recycling efforts. Most notably, ARTIC uses a combination of radiant floor heating and jet diffusers along soffit areas to cool only the first 12 to 15 feet off of the building's floor line. At the high elevations of the curtain wall, glass louvers allow natural air flow which, along with the frit pattern of the ETFE pillows, maintain a cool temperature in ARTIC's unconditioned space.